Tula man fined for extremist symbol in tree star comment

A man in Tula Region has been fined for commenting under a social media post that the star on Tula«s main Christmas tree looked like a »thieves« star», according to law enforcement.

The man was outraged by the star decorating the city«s main New Year»s tree, but his reaction went beyond mere indignation. The incident occurred back in November 2025.

To prove his point, he decided to attach a corresponding photograph showing a tattoo of the «thieves» star«—the symbolism of a banned extremist movement.

This led to a case being opened against him for displaying extremist symbols. In court, he tried to explain that he was merely attempting to prove his point in this way.

The court was not very convinced by this argument. The man was fined 1500 rubles (approx. $16 at current rates).

It is worth noting, however, that the star on the tree is a symbolic representation of the so-called «North Star».